Scottish Executive

Agriculture and Fisheries Council

Maureen Macmillan (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will report on the outcome of the Agriculture and Fisheries Council held in Brussels on 21 June 2004.

Ross Finnie: I attended the Agriculture and Fisheries Council on 21 June in Luxembourg together with Margaret Beckett and Ben Bradshaw.

  On fisheries the Council adopted the conclusions of the Commission’s communication on Environmentally Friendly Fishing Methods. The text supports the simplification and improvement of the EU’s technical conservation regulations to help to optimise catches of target species (reducing by-catch and discarding) and minimise the impact of fishing on marine habitats. The Commission has also been asked to give a high priority to schemes promoting environmentally friendly fishing, develop pilot projects for reducing discarding and to explore the potential for financial and non-financial incentives for using more environmentally friendly fishing methods. The Executive believes these measures can make a contribution to securing a more sustainable marine environment.

  The Council also reached agreement on a Regulation setting the maximum level of fishing effort for Western Waters. Fishing effort was allocated on the basis of kilowatt/days which member states will be allowed to share among their fleets. The new regime should ensure that fishing effort is not increased and that no major shifts in fishing effort occur. The Executive is content with the new Western Waters arrangements and supports the measures put forward.

  Finally there was an exchange of views regarding the establishment of a Community Fisheries Control Agency. The Executive believes that there is a need to promote more consistent standards of control and enforcement across the EU. However, the agency should be a small technical body, concentrating on training and joint enforcement operations. The Council welcomed the Commission’s proposal, which will now be discussed at a technical level.

  On agriculture, the Council held a public debate following the Commission’s presentation of an Action Plan for Organic Food and Farming. The UK joined others in welcoming the plan while stressing that expansion of the organic sector would have to be driven by consumer demand. The UK would play its part in further discussion but would want to ensure that requirements laid on the organic sector were economically realistic.

  The Commission updated the Council on continuing World Trade Organization (WTO) negotiations under the Doha Development Agenda and on its negotiations for a trade agreement with the Mercosur countries. The UK endorsed the efforts of the Commission to work for progress on both fronts and, on the WTO, emphasised the value of securing progress before the summer break. We re-iterated the benefits that a Doha deal could bring to the world economy and especially to developing countries.

  The German Minister presented a memorandum to the Council on renewable resources, following a conference held last month in Bonn. Delegations welcomed the German paper, noting the growing importance of renewables. The Commission said it would submit a biomass plan by the end of 2005.

  The Council had a brief exchange of views on the Commission’s report on the operation of the beef labelling regulations. There was general agreement that the regulations had done much to support consumer confidence in beef and that major changes were not needed. Further technical discussion will take place at official level.

  The Commission reported on continuing negotiations with trading partners over the rice tariff and with Russia on its requirements for certificates covering animal and animal product imports.

Care of Elderly People

Carolyn Leckie (Central Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many adults who are cared for by elderly parents are awaiting supported accommodation and what the average waiting time is for such accommodation.

Mr Tom McCabe: This information is not held centrally.

Emergency Services

Bristow Muldoon (Livingston) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive who has responsibility for determining which medical emergencies go to which accident and emergency department.

Malcolm Chisholm: As a rule, the Scottish Ambulance Service takes emergency patients to the nearest accident and emergency department, unless otherwise specified by the local NHS board. In some circumstances, the ambulance crew may decide to take a patient to a different unit that specialises in dealing with the patient’s condition.

  Each Scottish Ambulance Service Division is represented on the service re-design committees operating in their areas. This provides for the ambulance service to be involved in considering possible service changes at an early stage. These arrangements are entirely compatible with the principles of partnership working within NHSScotland. The need for such early engagement is also emphasised in the Department’s recently issued HDL (2004) 33 entitled Clarification of Finance (Revenue) Arrangements Relating to the Scottish Ambulance Service.

Fisheries

Maureen Macmillan (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will announce the key performance targets it has set for Fisheries Research Services for 2004-05.

Allan Wilson: I have set the following targets for Fisheries Research Services (FRS) for the financial year 2004-05.

  Delivery of Service:

  To achieve 93% of the performance targets set in the Schedules to the Service Level Agreement.

  To achieve 85% of the milestones agreed for Research and Development projects.

  To achieve an output of 1.3 publications per scientific member of staff.

  To produce 22 information leaflets and 10 major articles in the industry press.

  Quality of Service:

  To submit the scientific work of the Marine Ecosystems Programme to a peer review during 2004-05, and to put in place an agreed action plan to implement recommendations by the end of March 2005.

  To achieve accreditation by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service of the monitoring programmes for five new areas of work by March 2005.

  Efficiency Targets:

  93% of costs to be recovered from external customers (other than those agreed to be undertaken at marginal or shared costs).

  To restrict administrative staff costs to a maximum of 18% of the total staff costs.

  To achieve a research vessel utilisation of 96%, operating at a daily cost of £12,150 for Scotia and £2,960 for Clupea.

  To achieve cash releasing efficiency gains to the value of 1% of FRS’ budget.

  These targets should provide a sound basis for evaluating performance by establishing a time series for certain indicators and by requiring external scrutiny by accreditors and scientific peers.

  Attached for reference is a table showing the comparison with performance in 2003-04.

  Agency Performance Targets and Measures 2003-05

  

 Measures
 2003-04 
  Projected
 2004-05


 Target
 Actual
 Achieved
 Target


 Delivery Of Service
 


 Achievement of performance 
  targets set in the schedules to the service level agreement
 93%
 95%
 YES
 93%


 Achievement of agreed milestones 
  for Research and Development projects
 85%
 84%
 NO
 85%


 Maintain FRS’ publication 
  output:
 
 
 
 


 Number of staff (scientists 
  only for 2003-04)
 -
 245
 YES
 -


 Peer reviewed papers (+ 
  ICES papers)
 -
 204
 -


 Published reports
 -
 156
 -


 Publications/member of staff 
  (scientific staff only for 2003-04)
 1.2
 1.5
 1.3


 To produce information leaflets 
  for stakeholders and major articles in the fishing press
 20
10
 24
10
 YES
 22
10


 Quality of Service
 


 To subject a programme of 
  FRS work to external scientific peer review and to have 
  an agreed action plan in place to address major recommendations
 Fisheries Management 
  Programme
 Completed in 
  February 2004
 YES
 Marine Ecosystems 
  Programme


 Gain accreditation for specified 
  areas of FRS’ work
 Complete accreditation 
  for:
 
 
 Complete accreditation 
  for:


 
 Assessment of 
  taint by sensory analysis (%)
 100%
 YES
 Determination 
  of fatty acids/fatty alcohols in fish tissue and zooplankton



 
 Spring Viraemia 
  in carp by ELISA (%)
 100%
 
 Determination 
  of lipholic shellfish toxins (solvent extraction, LD-MS 
  analysis)




  

 Measures
 2003-04 
  Projected
 2004-05


 Target
 Actual
 Achieved

 Target


 
 Aluminium in 
  freshwater (%)
 100%
 
 Presence of 
  PSP toxins (screening step using the Jellet rapid test kit)


 
 Non-ortho CBs 
  in biota (%)
 100%
 
 


 
 Metals in freshwater 
  by ICP-MS (%)
 100%
 
 Histological 
  examination of shellfish tissues for Bonamia and Marteillia 
  infection


 
 Total and organic 
  Carbon and Nitrogen in sediments (new instrumentation) (%)
 
 YES
 Extension to 
  the scope of sensory assessment of fish and shellfish quality


 Efficiency Targets
 
 
 
 


 Full economic costs (FEC) 
  to be recovered from external customers (other than those 
  agreed to be undertaken at marginal or shared costs)
 92%
 92%
 YES
 93%


 Restrict administrative 
  staff costs as % of total staff costs
 17%
 17%
 YES
 18%


 To utilise research vessels 
  efficiently: 
 
 
 
 


 Days at sea/year (%)
 96%
 98.5%
 YES
 96%


 Daily cost of Scotia 
  (FEC)
 £11,685
 £10,996
 YES
 £12,150


 Daily cost of Clupea 
  (FEC)
 £2,845
 £2,800
 YES
 £2,960


 To improve the efficiency 
  of FRS financial management systems
 -
 -
 -
 -


 Cash releasing efficiency 
  gains (% of costs)
 1%
 1.1%
 YES
 1%

Health

Bruce Crawford (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of the £2.3 million allocated for the opening of "well man" clinics has been allocated to NHS Forth Valley to allow it to open and operate such clinics in its catchment area.

Mr Tom McCabe: As Forth Valley were already operating "Well Man Clinics" they were not invited to bid along with other health board partnerships. Instead Forth Valley Health Board and partners were invited to submit a proposal for resources to continue development and roll out of their model for well man clinics on which we based our strategy. We have recently received their proposal which is being considered.

Maternity Services

Pauline McNeill (Glasgow Kelvin) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration is being given to the minority report on reorganisation of maternity services in plans for the reconfiguration of such services in Greater Glasgow.

Malcolm Chisholm: I am considering this submission along with all other information available to me and all representations made to me.

Population

Bristow Muldoon (Livingston) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the population was in (a) Livingston, (b) Linlithgow, (c) Edinburgh West and (d) Edinburgh Pentlands parliamentary constituency in each year since 1999.

Hugh Henry: Annual population estimates are at present only available for local authority and health board areas, although plans are well advanced to prepare small area estimates (which would allow the production of figures by Scottish parliamentary constituency). Results from the 2001 Census, published by the Registrar General on 25 March last year, show that for these parliamentary constituencies the resident population was:

  

 Parliamentary Constituency
 Resident Population


 Edinburgh Pentlands
 77,820


 Edinburgh West
 79,851


 Linlithgow
 71,371


 Livingston
 87,343

Population

Bristow Muldoon (Livingston) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the projected population growth is of the City of Edinburgh local authority area over the next 10 years.

Hugh Henry: The latest population projections, published by the Registrar General on 25 February this year, show the projected population growth in the City of Edinburgh local authority area to be just under two per cent between 2003 and 2013.

  More detailed information is available, up to the year 2018, from the General Register Office for Scotland’s website at:

  http://www.gro-scotland.gov.uk/grosweb/grosweb.nsf/pages/02population-projections-scottishareeas.